The present invention relates generally to the field of deployable tray tables and assemblies for facilitating hands-free use of portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to a tray table-mounted personal electronic device holder adapted for use with various tray table configurations with minimal alteration and impact to the respective tray table and use thereof.
Portable electronic devices are commonly used aboard commercial airliners and other conveyances to watch movies, read, work, etc. Examples of such devices include, but are not limited to, smart phones, tablets, laptops and like devices that may or may not be equipped with a detachable keyboard. Hands-free use of such devices is desirable, particularly during long-haul flights.
Attempts have been made to incorporate device support structure into conventional seatbacks and tray tables to facilitate hands-free use. For example, seatback deployable tray tables in coach seating classes have been modified to incorporate deployable shelves and/or ledges. In one particular example, the shelf may be incorporated into the tray table top in the form of a depression, such that the device sits in the depression and leans against the seatback to hold the device at an optimal viewing angle. In another example, the shelf may deploy from “beneath” the tray table, thereby first requiring the tray table to be deployed before the shelf can be deployed. In yet another example, the tray table itself can become the shelf, and thus cannot be used simultaneously as both a tray table and a shelf. In each of the foregoing examples, usable surface area of the deployed tray table for other purposes is reduced because of the surface area consumed by the propped device.
Business and premium seating classes can utilize fixture mounted or armrest deployable tray tables. Such tray tables which incorporate portable electronic device holders also suffer from reduced surface area for uses other than device support.
Accordingly, what is needed is a solution for supporting a portable electronic device for hands-free use which is readily adaptable to various tray table configurations, and which does not reduce the usable surface are of the tray table itself. Such a solution would allow the tray table and device holder to be used together and simultaneously, thereby enhancing the functionality of the tray table and providing a readily installable and lightweight solution for holding portable electronic devices, among other purposes and advantages.